


The Gold Calls

by spanishmonkeys



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Gen, Origin Story, frienship? not anymore, monsters will be monsters, probably angst, there will be some eating of people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 23:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spanishmonkeys/pseuds/spanishmonkeys
Summary: Despite any attempts at making it work, Maui has to learn the hard way- demigods and monsters can't exist together in harmony.





	The Gold Calls

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so right off the bat- I'm not going to make any promises about frequency of updates. there might be many months bewteen chapters, who knows. Also, this is the first time I've written anything for fun in years. my writing is not going to be great, definitely not as good as some other fics out there so please excuse that. anyway, here it is. enjoy yourself.

Maui twirled his hook as he hummed. The screeches of Lalotai's inhabitants echoed in the distance, making the directions of their sources hard to pinpoint in the gloom. Bright, neon coloured flora glowed around him, a warning to those hungry enough to attempt eating them. The ocean frothed above Maui's head, adding to the whole upside-downness of the strange realm.

None of this bothered Maui, however. He was looking for trouble, like all demigods do when coming down from the high of praise the humans gave them. The events of the last adventure rang in his ears: lighting, thunder, the creaking of his canoe, the roar of the serpent. The humans had been throwing themselves at his feet, begging for his presence at the feast. Maui had obliged enthusiastically and soaked up the worship the humans gave him for ridding their island of torment. But as of recently, things had been getting pretty slow topside; nothing was terrorizing the oceans, and Maui hadn't heard any rumours of magical artifacts the humans might want. Between each great feat, The Realm of Monsters was just the right place to wind down before continuing on the next grand adventure.

Maui trekked through the alien brush, on the alert for any signs of a monster nearby. A big one was preferable; it would put up more of a fight. A monster that immediately ran away once it was losing wasn't any fun. Unfortunately, Maui wasn't picking up any indication that a monster might be near. No calls sounded out loud and clear, and no rustling in the bushes. Stillness permeated the humid air. This was turning out to be a bust. No monsters in the Realm of Monsters? Ridiculous.

He was just about ready to turn around and find a more active area when he heard a low, rumbling trill. Now alert, Maui pinpointed the source of the noise coming from ahead and quietly moved through the brush. Every so often came more peculiar sounds, like a giant stomping into the ground. Whatever monster this was, it was heavy. A perfect opponent for a fight! Spirits raising, Maui followed the sounds until he came to a clearing.

At the far end, a rocky wall extended high above, making the area Maui was in the end of a valley. Bits of large coral glowing on rocks were scattered near the edges of the clearing, creating a haphazard fairy ring. Fortunately for Maui, a monster stood in the middle. It was a crab, an absolutely humongous one, big enough to be a mountain all by itself. Maui was smaller than its eye. Its shell was a dark indigo, with purple streaks swirling around its shell like gusts of wind. It was wizened with age, but that wasn't anything to relax over. Age made a monster more powerful and dangerous. The crab was currently investigating something on the ground. When Maui looked closer, he saw it was a clutch of eggs. Probably crab eggs, going by their appearance. Thousands of them, all of them gleaming red and tucked against the cliff wall. They looked miniscule compared to the monster looming over them. A likely dinner, considering Lalotai's rule of survival: Eat whatever is edible, regardless if it's your own offspring. Or maybe these eggs weren't this crab's offspring? Whatever. Maui was here for a fight, and he was going to get one.

"CHEE-HOO!" Maui's signature cry ripped across the clearing. The crab jumped, clearly startled. It swung around to face him. Eyes narrowing, it lowered itself to the ground. A growl resonated throughout the clearing, amplified by the rocky wall behind it. Maui snorted at the crab's possessiveness. It was clearly willing to fight for those eggs. It snapped it claws, challenging him. Well, this was it then. Let's do this. Grinning, Maui brought his hook up in readiness.

The crab charged with a speed that shouldn't be possible. Undeterred, Maui rolled to the side to dodge a heavy pincer. He lifted his hook to parry the second one as it came rushing at him. The force of the impact shuddered against the hook, and pushed Maui back. With a flash, Maui turned into a beetle. With nothing pushing back, the crab stumbled forward. Maui sped around to the back of the crab's head and shifted back in midair, ready to strike. However the crab twisted an eyestalk backwards and saw him. It reached a claw behind itself to protect its soft neck. That wouldn't do. Maui needed to- 

WHAM! 

The pincer that fouled Maui suddenly rushed forward, hitting him square on. He flew back a good distance, hitting the ground roughly. His hook clattered to the ground, out of Maui's reach. The crab used the pause to turn around, readying another attack with a low, menacing growl. Maui got to his feet, more cautious now.

The crab charged again. Maui rolled to the side, narrowly missing a pincer slamming into the spot he was just in. He could see his hook lying in the dirt through the tangle of crab legs in front of him. Without hesitation, Maui sprinted underneath the crab. Now momentarily safe, he took a moment to catch his breath. The crab let out a roar when it couldn't see him, spinning in place to search for him.

There was no time to wait for the crab to stop. He had to get his hook before it moved away. Maui watched the dark legs scurry in front of him, timing his move. When there was a pause, he sprang through the space between the legs, diving for his hook. The crab had seen him move however, and turned. A leg caught Maui in the ribcage as he rushed past, winding him. He still scooped up his hook as he got to it, wincing. The crab was watching him. It raised its arm and thrust it towards Maui, claw prepared to grab.

Seeing an open pincer rushing towards him, Maui transformed into a hawk and took to the air, high above the crab's reach. Each wingbeat caused a stab of pain in Maui's ribs. It looked up at him, baring its teeth and roaring in anger. Maui folded his wings and dived, aiming for the face. He was forced to abandon his dive when the other claw came rushing at him. He shifted back and swiped his hook at the claw, knocking it back. He landed on both feet and struck the other swinging pincer with his hook. The crab wasn't tiring. Nothing he was doing seemed to deter it.

He couldn't keep swatting at its claws. Its armour was too hard. Maui needed an opening to the crab's face. He just had to get its claws away. He glanced around. There was a large rock nearby jutting out of the ground, leaving a considerably sized gap underneath. That was it! He had a plan. He rushed over. Maui stood right in front of the gap, waiting. Just as he predicted, the crab barreled its arm toward him. The claw almost hit Maui as he rolled out of the way. But the speed the claw was going at lodged it into the gap. The crab tugged at its arm, but it was completely stuck. Without a complete barrier to its face, the crab was at a disadvantage. Maui had an opening.

Hook in hand, Maui brought back his arm, as if launching a rock into the ocean. He threw his hook as hard as he could. It whizzed through the air, spinning. The hook landed square on its mark- the crab's head. The force of the impact sent the hook ricocheting back to Maui's waiting hand. The crab stumbled back, stunned.  
This was his chance. Maui gripped his hook with both hands and leaped into the air. He brought his arms back behind him, ready to strike. With a savage yell, Maui swung his hook. It collided with the crab's face, knocking it back. The claw was wrenched out of the gap under the rock. The crab let out an earsplitting roar. It collided with the rocky wall behind it. The wall shuddered with the impact, causing dust and boulders to rain down around the crab. One glanced off its shell, leaving a small crack where it had hit.

It seemed the crab had underestimated its opponent. With a glare, it turned tail and fled into the shadows. Maui smirked and hefted his hook onto his shoulder, despite his injury. Probably a broken rib, judging by the pain when he breathed. That one would take about a week to heal. Luckily, it wasn't anything too serious.

Turning, Maui surveyed the damage done to the clearing. Huge piles of rocks and boulders lined the cliff wall, dust still settling from the crab-induced avalanche. The clutch of eggs that were tucked against the cliff wall were gone, most likely crushed under the rocks. Some had managed to roll away during the scuffle, but most of the ones that survived the avalanche were completely destroyed, littering the battleground like crushed berries. Very little of the eggs remained intact. One egg near Maui's foot caught his eye in particular. Bending over, he picked it up and examined it. It was nothing exceptional; it looked just like the other eggs, except this one had a light scratch running across the surface. Considering the fate of the others, this one got real lucky.

Maui gently turned the egg over in his hands. It was like a pebble in comparison, nestled in his warm palm. He could faintly see the dark form of the baby crab floating inside it. Maui frowned. This was a monster. In just a few years, this thing would grow up to be one more threat that would harm humans. Lalotai was an attraction to the bravest warriors of the humans above, to test their battle prowess against the vicious monsters below. Maui was reluctant to let something as dangerous as a giant crab run loose where humans can’t defend themselves against its tough armour. There was also the possibility that it could escape, using one of the many exits out into the surface world where it can attack the humans unawares. It was a tough enough job to keep all the other monsters from roaming the oceans. Although, Lalotai in all its natural ferocity might kill the crab before it would become dangerous. Odds are that it would starve before it became even a few years old, or something bigger and stronger would kill it for a tasty snack. But there was always a possibility that it could survive. Abandoning the egg here was leaving it up to chance. Maui had to destroy the egg, to prevent it from becoming a problem in the first place. One less monster to deal with. 

Maui raised the egg in the air, ready to smash it, when a thought struck him. He paused. He could take the egg with him; raise the monster in the world above. He could teach it to ignore its instincts, and become his companion. A demigod with a monster companion? They would be unstoppable! But then, how would the humans react? If Maui had a monster at his side, would the mortals trust him? They might see him as siding with the enemy, disregarding all his favours done for them. He could hear their furious shouts ringing in his ears, chasing him away, rejecting him, abandoning him. Leaving him so they can kill the monster he brought as a pity gift, and for himself, no less. Taking that other crab he just fought into consideration, this baby would grow to a similar size. It would be an accident waiting to happen, even if it were docile. It would be easy to accidentally hurt mortals; they would never forgive him if his monster did that. Maui couldn't bear the guilt of causing havoc among humans, all because he wanted a "pet".

Maui groaned, rubbing his face. He lowered his arm, and took another look at the crab egg. It still sat innocently in his palm. Sighing, he carefully placed the egg on the ground, and nudged it underneath an intact coral nearby, where it was out of sight. He couldn't take the egg with him. It was too risky. The crab will have to fend for itself here in Lalotai.

Without sparing another glance at the lonely egg, Maui swung his hook with a half-hearted yell, and transformed into a hawk. Beating his powerful wings, Maui took to the skies and left the savage cries of the beasts below, back to the surface world where humans and gods reign, and where monsters don't belong.

**Author's Note:**

> there you go. I know it's short, but i hope you enjoyed it. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.


End file.
